Sgt. Paul Schwartzmeyer Is This Week’s Hometown Hero

It’s time once again for our Hometown Hero, brought to you by Batavia Downs Gaming with help from our friends at WNY Heroes who help us with our nominations every week.  This week, our Hometown Hero has served in both the United States Marine Corps and our United States Army!  It’s Sergeant Paul Schwartzmeyer.

In 2000 Schwartzmeyer enlisted in Active Duty in the Marine Corps and shortly after he was putting his feet on the yellow footprints of Parris Island, North Carolina.  Upon graduating Parris Island and was ordered to Marine Corps Combat Training in Camp Lejeune, and then off to Marine Corps Detachment Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri for Marine Corps Military Police School and after he graduated he was ordered as an MP  to 2nd Marine Air Wing (2nd MAW) Cherry Point North Carolina.

At Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Cherry Point he was assigned to Marine Wing Support Squadron (MWSS) 274 and then Combat Support Squadron 21 (CSSD-21) and Headquarters Squadron (H&HS).  While at Cherry Point he worked his way from Gate Sentry to Watch Commander and responded to multiple high risk calls including but not limited to Anthrax scares, suspicious packages, domestic violence, possible intrusions of forward infantry imaging buildings, flight line security, and ammunition supply magazines.  He also made multiple forced entrances on houses ahead of the Special Reaction Team due to the nature and severity of the incidents.

He has worked alongside multiple federal law enforcement agencies including the Secret Service and in 2003 Former President Bush along with then current President Bush flew into Cherry Point on Air Force One and switched aircraft onto Marine One for speeches in support of the Iraq Invasion.  Also in 2003 He provided security to the base for MCAS Cherry Point’s three day Air Show which was the largest in Cherry Point history with over 170,000 civilians attending and being screened because of Force Protection Level.  He was one of the few patrols that was responding to incidents through the traffic.

In March of 2003 he reenlisted for another four years and ordered to Marine Corps Base (MCB) Quantico, Va where he was assigned to Security Battalion’s Military Police Company.  I worked multiple roles as Gate Sentry, Patrol, Desk Sergeant, and Patrol Supervisor.  I responded to multiple situations and supported Marine Helicopter 1 (HMX1),  Marine Corps University, Officer Candidate School, The Basic School, Headquarters Marine Corps, FBI National Training Academy, DEA Academy, and multiple law enforcement agencies throughout the country.  In 2005 he assisted in establishing and operations of a Central Command Post that was used for the Marine Corps Marathon.

In 2006 I was reassigned to Headquarters and Service Battalion as a Troop Handler.  As a Troop Handler I was responsible for receiving, processing in and out, as well as maintaining the good order and discipline of over 500 deserters, many of which were caught by law enforcement agencies including the US Marshals and Marine Corps Absentee Collections Unit for multiple crimes including murder.  He was also given the once in a lifetime privilege to be part of Former President Ford’s Burial Detail.  I was given the responsibility of providing security and transportation for the invited guests and family members of Former President Ford’s often picking up or dropping off at Air Force One and staged on the White House Grounds alongside Former Presidents Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, and Bill Clinton and their respective families for the duration.

On May 20, 2008 I was Honorably discharged from the Marine Corps with the following awards: 2- Letters of Appreciation, 1- Letter and Card from Mrs. Ford, 2x Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal.

In February of 2009 Schwartzmeyer Enlisted into the Army where He was stationed at Fort Drum, NY in the 91st Military Police Battalion, 23 Military Police Company.  As a Team Leader he was deployed to Camp Taji, Iraq  where He served on the Theatre Internment Facility Reconciliation Center (TIFRC) on the Immediate Response Force (IIRF) where he trained Iraqi Correctional Officers as well as responded to multiple incidents including riots, forced cell extractions, and found unexploded ordnance.  While also assigned to provide protection for bus drivers during transportation of detainees who were flown to different facilities. Schwartzmeyer was also forward security to the prison visitors where He was the only armed person amongst crowds in excess of 300 Iraq civilians who were waiting to be searched and screened providing security for the translator and disrupted several attempts of Iraqi’s lighting themselves on fire next to himself and the translator along with neutralizing threatening situations with weapons and attempts to run through the checkpoints.

In June of 2011 Schwartzmeyer was honorably discharged from the Army with the Army Commendation Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal with Campaign Star, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, and Overseas Service Ribbon.

This week, we are grateful to have people like Paul on our team fighting for our country.  We are proud to name him our Hometown Hero of the week!

If you would like to see a picture of Paul, get to WYRK.com!  While you’re there, nominate your own Hometown Hero. We like to honor both active duty and veteran heroes from right here in Western New York.

Thanks once again to Paul Schwartzmeyer from the United States Marine Corps And The United States Army, our Hometown Hero of the week!